ABSTRACT
This chapter explores factors that vary across individual learners, and may therefore contribute to differences in second language (L2) acquisition. Motivation is often considered by teachers and learners to be one of the primary causes behind L2 learning in the classroom, although not all researchers hypothesize a causal role for motivation in accounting for individual differences in L2 learning. Oxford developed the Strategy Inventory of Language Learning, which has been influential in the study of learning strategies. Language learning aptitude has been identified as having several different components. A common instrument developed to measure language learning aptitude is the Modern Language Aptitude Test, which consists of five parts that measure three dimensions of aptitude: Phonemic coding ability, language analytic ability, and rote memorization ability.
